Tweaking the color in an Irish Red

[siobhan]

I'm very satisfied with the taste of my Irish Red Ale now. However, the color is a bit dark - basically like Coca Cola. Clear, very dark red, just short of a stout.

The recipe uses 0.5# roasted barley. (Other grains, of course, but that's the dark one). I'm using Light DME.

If I wanted to lighten it a titch, should I decrease the roasted barley to 0.25#, or use 0.5# of something like a chocolate malt? I understand that this will alter the OG a little, but I'm not inflexible about that sort of thing as long as the end result tastes good.

 

[cenla]

are you doing an extract brew with steeping grains or is this all grain?

 

[siobhan]

Partial grain - also has CaraPils and CaraMunich, along with the DME.

 

[backsaw13]

hmmm - i just brewed a red this weekend - and it was recommended that the roasted barley and black patent be added for the sparge - not the entire mash - and mine so far looks to be a good color. Just a thought.

 

[Yoda]

Yep just dial down the roasted barley and you will be good on lighter color. That stuff turns a beer brown/black in a hurry. If you want to get the gravity back up just add a little extra of your base grain to the mash or DME to the boil.

If you want to hit an exact SRM/color and/or ABV use a brew calculator to figure out the exact amounts. If not just cut it in half like you said and it'll be fine.

 

[Bobby_M]

Its tough because you already like the flavor. Don't back off too much.